Mydairyman.com Articles

Summer brings nights on the terrace, picnics on the beach — and stifling heat. It’s important to find ways to keep cool, so Weight Watchers® has a few tips and recipes to help you keep cool without sacrificing a healthier lifestyle.
Hello Hydration.
Drinking water and staying hydrated is important. But what’s better — tap or bottled? One isn’t better than the other because they both have high standards of regulation. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables will contribute to your water intake, as well. When basking in the sun, avoid alcohol, which can dehydrate the body.
Soaking Up the Sun.
Before hitting the beach, stock up your bag with the essentials — sun screen, beach towel and a good book. For a beachside snack, don’t forget to pack a cooler with lots of water and deliciously creamy and refreshing Weight Watchers Ice Cream bars. They are portable and come in flavors like Chocolate Mousse, English Toffee Crunch, Giant Cookies & Cream or Giant Latté.
End-of-the Day Quencher.
Treats don’t have to be high in calories. To quench your taste buds at the end of a hot day, indulge in a Weight Watchers Ice Cream Cup. Ranging from 140 to 170 calories and with only 1.5 to 5 grams of fat per serving, these decadent ice cream cups are available in Mint Chocolate Chip, Turtle Sundae, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough or Chocolate Fudge Brownie.
For other tasty summer recipes visit www.weightwatchers.com/sensiblefoods.
Ice Cream Sandwich Fruit Tarte
Prep: 8 minutes; Serves 2
1 Weight Watchers Round Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich
3 medium strawberries, hulled and halved
1 medium peach, thinly sliced
1 medium kiwifruit, peeled and diced

Slice ice cream sandwich in half through ice cream so each half has a chocolate bottom. (For easier slicing, hold a sharp knife under hot running water for 30 seconds before cutting the ice cream sandwich in half.)
Place on two plates, chocolate sides down. Divide strawberries, peaches and kiwi on top of each ice cream sandwich half and serve.

Per serving (1/2 sandwich): 150 Calories, 3.5 g Fat, 1 g Saturated Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 0 mg Cholesterol, 270 mg Sodium, 29 g Carbohydrate, 4 g Fiber, 4 g Protein, 6% Calcium. POINTS® value: 2.
Multigrain Waffle Ice Cream Sandwiches
Prep: 10 minutes; Serves 4 (1/2 waffle sandwich per serving)
4 multigrain waffles, toasted
1/2 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced (divided)
2 Weight Watchers Giant Cookies & Cream Bars

Once waffles have cooled to room temperature, place 1 ice cream bar on 1 waffle and remove wooden stick. Using butter knife, gently spread ice cream evenly across waffle.
Arrange 1/4 cup strawberries over ice cream, and place 1 waffle on top of strawberries and ice cream to form a sandwich. Repeat with remaining 2 waffles, ice-cream bar, and 1/4 cup strawberries. Cut both sandwiches in half and serve immediately.
Good Idea: Play around with different flavors for your ice cream sandwiches. Use different flavors of Weight Watchers Giant ice cream bars and pair them with your favorite fruits or berries. For example, try Weight Watchers Giant Chocolate Fudge Bar with sliced bananas.

Per serving (1/2 sandwich): 150 Calories, 3.5 g Fat, 1 g Saturated Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 0 mg Cholesterol, 270 mg Sodium, 29 g Carbohydrate, 4 g Fiber, 4 g Protein, 6% Calcium. POINTS value: 2.

Osborn Named 2008 Rumler Scholarship Recipient
Kasey Osborn of Genoa, New York, is the 2008 Robert H. Rumler Scholarship winner. Kasey is currently enrolled in the HEC MBA Program at the HEC School of Management in Paris, France with an anticipated May 2009 graduation date.
“Having an MBA will make a tremendous difference to me as a potential agri-business leader,” Osborn said. “It will create a more global perspective and provide credibility to not only myself, but our industry in general.”
Osborn’s vision is focused on making a positive impact on the dairy industry and he realizes significant changes will be required to make the industry competitive on a worldwide basis. To build on his dairy management and animal health expertise gained in the U.S., he is one of only two Americans in his MBA class, made up people mostly from Europe, Asia and South America.
Holstein Association USA is proud to assist in those endeavors by providing Osborn with the Robert H. Rumler Scholarship, which was established in 1984. Robert H. Rumler led the Association as Executive Secretary for 25 years and believes U.S. agribusiness needs and deserves the best trained, most highly qualified leaders the nation’s educational system and practical experience can provide.
For more information and to view the complete story, visit www.holsteinusa.com.
Friends remember Ray Veldhuis
Mike Bettencourt remembers when dairyman Ray Veldhuis moved to Winton in the 1960s. Although Bettencourt was only 12 years old, he knew right away that Veldhuis was a special person.
“We sold crops, hay and silage, to him and no matter what deal he made, he stuck by it. It was a deal set in stone,” Bettencourt said.
Veldhuis was a dairy farmer known throughout both the state and the country for his work for the dairy industry. He had been in the dairy business since 1951. On May 30th, Veldhuis was killed in a tractor accident in Ballico.
Veldhuis was an instrumental person in getting the Western United Dairymen association going and also the Dairy Farmers of America. He served as past president of Western United Dairymen. Michael Marsh, the chief executive officer of the organization, remembers Veldhuis well. “Ray gave a great deal to his family as well as the industry. He helped build the dairy industry in California,” Marsh said.
David Parrish, chief operating officer for the Western Council of the Dairy Farmers of America, was a good friend of Veldhuis and traveled with him a lot, working for the dairy farmers of both California and the United States. “He was truly a leader. He didn’t speak until it was necessary, but when he did, everyone listened,” Parrish said.
To view the complete story, visit www.mercedsunstar.com/167/story/291351.html

Dave Miller
Pioneer Alfalfa Research Director
From the Pioneer Forage Forum
I’ve been in the business for about 20 years. When I started, alfalfa varieties were pretty much what I’d call “one-size-fits-all.” Every company had their “best” variety and that was the one to buy. And when they ran out of a supply that, there was a second-best, usually the next oldest product. The industry has really evolved in the last 10 years or so to bring a variety of traits to growers that allow them to manage different aspects of their operations, whether it’s insect resistance, weed control, forage quality, etc. So there’s just a lot more options out there for growers to be able to optimize the quantity and the quality of the alfalfa that they grow.
According to Miller, some of the traits that are available include forage quality, leafhopper resistance and lodging resistance.
We try to segment our varieties into some different categories. There’s a category that we call our “muscle” varieties. These are the varieties that we think kind of continue a longstanding tradition at Pioneer of being our highest yielding, most winter hardy varieties which also have a disease-resistance package that would allow them to be broadly adapted. The second category that we have would be what we call our forage quality varieties. These varieties tend to be higher in forage quality by about 10 to 15 relative forage quality points on a given day when they’re cut as compared to the muscle variety. These varieties in combination with the muscle variety would allow growers to manage a harvest window, a maturity window, similar to planting different relative maturities in corn or groups in soybeans. Another category that we have is what we call our leafhopper resistant varieties. These are varieties that will yield well under potato leafhopper pressure. We have excellent data from Ohio State University showing the advantage of this trait compared with sprayed conventional varieties and the economic advantage that comes from that. Another trait we’ve developed product for is what we call our lodging resistant alfalfa. This is alfalfa that will stand longer and under a wider range of conditions than any of our other varieties, and really, just about any other variety in the industry at this point. Lodging resistant alfalfas allow growers to cut closer, have less ash in their feed because it’s not run down against the ground and increase harvestable yield and quality.
Still another alfalfa trait is resistance to a disease called Aphanomyces Race 2.
Aphanomyces Race 2 is a root rot disease. It happens under similar conditions to Phytophthora root rot. This is a disease that was discovered in the last 10 to 15 years. We’re just now starting to get a good appreciation for how widespread this disease is. Currently Pioneer and the University of Wisconsin are undertaking a survey of farms across the state of Wisconsin and part of Minnesota to determine the extent of the distribution of the disease. Currently, at least 50 percent of the samples coming in have Aphanomyces Race 2. We have a product that’s highly resistant to Aphanomyces Race 2.
Miller says with all the choices available, growers need to ask themselves one very important question when choosing an alfalfa variety.
What is your biggest production challenge? Then go to your seed dealer to determine which products you need that will best meet your growing conditions.

It looks like Roundup Ready alfalfa seed will be available to growers again late next year. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reportedly is on schedule preparing the court-ordered environmental impact statement (EIS) on Roundup Ready alfalfa, and proponents are confident it will show that the transgenic alfalfa and conventional alfalfa can successfully co-exist.
Mark McCaslin, president of Forage Genetics International, was part of a National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance (NAFA) delegation that recently visited APHIS in Washington, D.C. “We asked for an update on the court-ordered Roundup Ready alfalfa EIS,” he reports. “They told us they expect to have a draft EIS completed by the end of 2008 or very early 2009.” Following a public comment period, the agency will draft a final EIS. “They said that at this stage they believe the EIS process is on track for the promised two-year completion, suggesting a deregulation decision in late 2009,” says McCaslin.
To view the complete story, visit http://hayandforage.com/ehayarchive/roundup-ready-alfalfa-2009-return/
Short-Run Price and Welfare Impacts of Federal Ethanol Policies
High commodity prices have increased interest in the impacts of federal ethanol policies. Lihong Lu McPhail and Bruce A. Babcock present a stochastic, short-run structural model of U.S. corn, ethanol, and gasoline markets to estimate the price and welfare impacts of alternative policies on producers and consumers of corn, ethanol, and gasoline. The three federal policies that they consider are the Renewable Fuels Standard, the blenders tax credit, and the tariff on imported ethanol. Their model examines the impact of these policies on prices during the 2008/09 marketing year. The results show that in the short run, a change in U.S. ethanol policies would not have a large, immediate impact on corn prices. Eliminating any one of the policies would reduce average corn prices by less than 4%. Removal of all three programs would decrease average corn prices by 14.5%. The reason why the changes are relatively modest is that existing U.S. ethanol plants will only shut down if their variable cost of production is not covered. Changes in ethanol policies would have large distributional impacts. Corn growers, ethanol producers, and fuel consumers have a large incentive to maintain high ethanol consumption. Gasoline producers have a large incentive to reduce ethanol production and imports. Livestock producers have a large short-run incentive to reduce domestic ethanol production.
To view the complete story, visit the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development at www.card.iastate.edu/publications/synopsis.aspx?id=1077.
WaterSmart Innovations welcomes Dr. Jonathan Overpeck, keynote luncheon speaker, Thursday, October 9
The myriad effects of climate change on water supplies-ranging from drought to rising sea levels-are imposing an expanding new set of burdens on water professionals worldwide. To help us all better understand these challenges and how to confront them, WaterSmart Innovations is pleased to welcome Dr. Jonathan Overpeck, coordinating lead author for the United Nations’ Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment, as the keynote luncheon speaker on Thursday, October 9.
Dr. Overpeck is the director of the Institute for the Study of Planet Earth at the University of Arizona in Tucson, where he also is a professor of Geosciences and a professor of Atmospheric Sciences. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Hamilton College and a Master of Science and a doctorate from Brown University. He has published more than 120 papers on climate and the environmental sciences.
In addition to his work with the IPCC’s “Climate Change 2007” report, Dr. Overpeck also has earned the U.S. Department of Commerce Bronze and Gold Medals and the Walter Orr Roberts award of the American Meteorological Society for his interdisciplinary research. He is a Guggenheim Fellowship recipient and was the 2005 American Geophysical Union Bjerknes Lecturer. He serves on the Board of Reviewing Editors for Science Magazine.
Don’t miss this opportunity; visit www.WaterSmartInnovations.com to register.
Reminder: Fill out the 2007 Census of Agriculture
Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer reminded America’s farmers and ranchers to respond to the 2007 Census of Agriculture either by Internet or U.S. mail. Whether or not a person is actively engaged in agricultural activity, each person who received a Census of Agriculture form is required by law to respond.
Conducted every five years, the Census of Agriculture is the only source of consistent and comprehensive agricultural data for every state and county in the nation. The information is used by town planners, policy makers, agribusinesses and others to make important growth-generating decisions that will shape rural communities for future generations.
Forms can be returned by mail or submitted online. For more information, or for assistance with completing the 2007 Census of Agriculture, call toll-free (888) 424-7828 or visit www.agcensus.usda.gov. a

Turlock Dairy Refrigeration (TDR), a Boumatic dealer based in Turlock, California, recently celebrated 35 years of exemplary service within the local dairy community. TDR honored their most loyal with a Customer Appreciation event, taking the opportunity to thank those who have been with them since the beginning.
Rick Michel of Michel Ranch and Dairy became a customer when the business first opened in 1973. “They are very service oriented; we built our businesses together and have continued to grow together,” notes Michel. “TDR offers the latest technology in milking equipment.”
Tony Bruno, son of owner and founder Matt Bruno, Sr., remarked that it is because of committed customers, like Michel, and stellar employees, that the company has done so well for so long. “We have a lot of good people that work for us; we have employees that have been with us for 28 years,” says Bruno.
Bruno also notes that the business has thrived as a turnkey operation. “We offer aftermarket products, installation and construction services and superior service.” Each of these components has served TDR well and will likely be pivotal in their next 35 years of success. Congratulations to TDR, their employees and customers on this momentous and remarkable achievement! a

Final Rule on Water Transfers
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is publishing a final rule to exclude water transfers from regulation under the NPDES permitting program. The final rule defines a water transfer as an activity that conveys or connects waters of the United States without subjecting the transferred water to intervening industrial, municipal, or commercial use. This does not apply to pollutants introduced by the water transfer activity itself to the water being transferred.
Water transfers are activities that divert water between waterbodies, typically through the use of pumps or passive redirection through tunnels, channels, and/or natural stream water features. Water transfers are necessary to allocate water resources to meet the water needs of those downstream in the receiving waterbody. Such needs include public water supply, irrigation, power generation, flood control, and environmental restoration. The Bureau of Reclamation administers significant transfers in western States to provide approximately 140,000 farmers with irrigation water. With the use of water transfers, the Army Corps of Engineers keeps thousands of acres of agricultural and urban land in southern Florida from flooding in former areas of Everglades wetlands. Many large cities in the west and the east would not have adequate sources of water for their citizens were it not for the continuous redirection of water from outside basins. For example, both the cities of New York and Los Angeles are dependent on water transfers from distant watersheds to meet their municipal demand.
Delegation Calls for Investigation into Run Up in Fertilizer Prices
North Dakota Senators Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan and Congressman Earl Pomeroy today called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate the cause of skyrocketing agriculture fertilizer prices.
“This unprecedented volatility in fertilizer prices is responsible for growing uncertainty and frustration among our nation’s farmers and ranchers,” the delegation writes in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer. “Even with currently strong commodity prices, income from farming is barely keeping up with increased farm input costs and, in particular, skyrocketing fertilizer prices.”
In recent months, the price of agricultural fertilizer has risen to record levels. According to the National Agriculture Statistics Service, fertilizer prices in May 2008 were 69 percent higher than they were in May 2007. And the 2007 prices represented an increase in costs of 158 percent compared to May 2000.
While some of the increase may be a result of rising petroleum costs, those factors alone do not fully explain the current escalation in fertilizer prices. The Congressional delegation wants an immediate investigation into the rapid increase in fertilizer prices to assure that farmers and ranchers are not being overcharged.
“We hope this investigation will provide answers for our family farmers and ranchers who are extremely concerned and trying to understand the inexplicable run up in fertilizer prices,” the delegation says. ■

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed June 12th a state of emergency in the following nine Central Valley counties due to severe water shortages: Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Kern. When the Governor issued his Executive Order the previous week declaring a statewide drought, he directed his state agencies and departments to take immediate action to address the serious drought conditions and water delivery reductions that exist in California, and the announcement builds on those actions.
“Just last week, I said we would announce regional emergencies wherever the state’s drought situation warrants them, and in the Central Valley, an emergency proclamation is necessary to protect our economy and way of life,” Governor Schwarzenegger said. “Central Valley agriculture is a $20 billion a year industry. If we don’t get them water immediately the results will be devastating. Food prices, which are already stretching many family budgets, will continue to climb and workers will lose their jobs-everyone’s livelihood will be impacted in some way.”
The Governor’s emergency proclamation is based in part on an assessment of the full impact that additional, unexpected cuts recently made by federal water officials to San Joaquin Valley farmers have had in the middle of the growing season. As a result, the Governor’s proclamation directs the Department of Water Resources to work with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to deliver more water now through the State Water Project when it’s needed most. It also orders his Department of Water Resources to transfer groundwater through the California Aqueduct to benefit farmers in the affected counties and the State Water Resources Control Board to review water transfers as quickly as possible.
“We would not be talking about any of this if over the last 40 years California had invested in our water infrastructure. Today we are taking aggressive action to address an immediate crisis, but a comprehensive solution is the only answer to addressing our drought situation in the long term,” Governor Schwarzenegger said.
Beginning with the first Strategic Growth Plan in 2006, the Governor called for a comprehensive plan to address California’s urgent water needs. The Governor renewed that call in his 2008-09 budget by proposing an $11.9 billion water bond for water management investments that will address population growth, climate change, water supply reliability and environmental needs. Specifically, the bond includes:
•    Water Storage: $3.5 billion dedicated to the development of additional storage.
•    Delta Sustainability: $2.4 billion to help implement a sustainable resource management plan for the Delta.
•    Water Resources Stewardship: $1.1 billion to implement river restoration projects.
•    Water Conservation: $3.1 billion to increase water use efficiency.
•    Water Quality Improvement: $1.1 billion for efforts to reduce the contamination of groundwater.
•    Other Critical Water Projects: $700 million for water recycling, hillside restoration for areas devastated by fire and removal of fish barriers on key rivers and streams.
To view the complete text of the proclamation, visit http://gov.ca.gov/press-release/9896/. ■

Schafer Announces Crop Loan, LDP Provisions and Loan Rates
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer announced June 12th USDA has delivered its first actions implementing the new farm bill. Within three weeks of commodity title enactment in the 2008 Farm Bill, USDA is implementing marketing assistance loan and loan deficiency payment (LDP) provisions.
“We know we can rely on America’s farmers and ranchers to grow our food, and they can rely on USDA to have the new farm bill ready,” said Schafer. “The Department of Agriculture is putting into action the thousands of pages of new farm bill law for crop production, research, marketing, nutrition, conservation, food aid and rural development. Expect more follow-on farm bill results from USDA.”
USDA also announced that county loan rates for 2008 crop of wheat, corn, grain sorghum, barley, oats, soybeans, and other oilseeds (sunflower seed, flaxseed, canola, rapeseed, safflower, mustard seed, crambe, and sesame seed), State loan rates by class for 2008 crop of rice, and regional loan rates for 2008 pulse crops (small chickpeas, dry peas, and lentils) were posted today on the Farm Service Agency (FSA) Web site www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp?area=home&subject=prsu&topic=lor.
With enactment of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, (the 2008 farm bill) national loan rates for the 2008 crops of wheat, feed grains, oilseeds, rice, and pulses are at the following levels:
As required by the 2008 Farm Bill, these national loan rates are established at the same levels as those established for the 2007 crop, with the exception of rice. Starting with the 2008 crop, the 2008 farm bill specifies national loan rates for both long grain rice and medium grain rice.
Milled and Rough Rice Loan Rates by Class Updated
For rice stored in commercial warehouses, the whole kernel milled rice loan rates for the 2008 crop are $10.00 per hundredweight for long grain and $9.78 for medium/short grain. The broken kernel loan rate for all classes is $6.67 per hundredweight. National average rough rice loan rates by class are $6.50 per hundredweight for long grain and $6.50 for medium/short grain. USDA computes milled and rough rice loan rates by class using average milling yields and production percentages to ensure that the production-weighted national average rough rice loan rate equals the $6.50 per hundredweight national loan rate.
Regional Pulse Loans Updated
The 2008 crop West Region dry pea loan rate is $6.58 per hundredweight; the East Region dry pea loan rate is $6.14 per hundredweight. The West Region lentil loan rate is $14.23 per hundredweight; the East Region lentil loan rate is $10.74 per hundredweight. These rates average to the national rate based on recent regional production shares.
The West Region includes the Palouse (Idaho, Oregon and Washington) and other states west of the Rocky Mountains (Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah). The East Region includes Montana, North Dakota and all other states not in the West Region.
USDA determined that insufficient reliable market information is available to establish regional loan rates for small chickpeas. Therefore, the national rate of $7.43 per hundredweight applies for all producing regions. Under provisions of the new 2008 farm bill, producers of large chickpeas will not be eligible for marketing assistance loans until the 2009 crop year.
Marketing assistance loans provide producers interim financing at harvest time to meet cash flow needs without having to sell their commodities when market prices are typically at harvest-time lows. A producer who is eligible to obtain a loan, but who agrees to forgo the loan, may obtain a loan deficiency payment if such payments are available.
Other Provisions and Rates
Cotton and peanut loan and LDP provisions and rates will be announced separately. Wool, mohair and honey were announced in January. a

A coproduct of ethanol production could be used as a non-petroleum-based filler in plastics, based on preliminary studies by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and their cooperators.
The ethanol coproduct, called distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS), has a high fiber content and a molecular structure suitable for binding–two attributes that make it a candidate as a filler in plastics, according to ARS agricultural engineer Kurt Rosentrater.
Rosentrater is based at the ARS North Central Agricultural Research Laboratory in Brookings, S.D. He conducted the research with Robert A. Tatara, a professor at the Northern Illinois University (NIU) Department of Technology, part of NIU’S College of Engineering and Engineering Technology.
The researchers compressed molded blends of DDGS and phenolic plastic resin (ranging from 0 to 90 percent DDGS) and found that DDGS concentrations between 25 and 50 percent worked best as fillers in plastics. These findings were published recently in the Journal of Polymers and the Environment (JPE).
The preliminary study yielded only limited data on the resulting physical properties of the various DDGS/plastic blends, so follow-up tests are currently under way.
The data can then be used to develop new bio-based manufactured products. Rosentrater and Andrew W. Otieno, also with Northern Illinois University’s Department of Technology, have developed comprehensive guidelines that take into account the unique challenges encountered when manufacturing plastic composites that contain biological materials. This work has also been published in the JPE.
Fillers such as clay, talc, glass, paper and metals are commonly used in plastics to increase strength, and also to save costs by reducing the amount of actual plastic resin used. Using bio-based fillers such as bamboo, kenaf, corn stover, soybean hulls or even chicken feathers is receiving increased attention as a way to use less petroleum in plastic products. Thus both DDGS and distiller’s dried grains (DDG) are candidates for use as biofillers for plastics.
ARS is a scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. a

Karri Hammerstrom
Ethanol is part of the sustainable, domestic solution. The world needs sustainable mobility addressing climate change, energy security, rural development and food for a growing population. The current US energy model is unsustainable with aging oil fields, supply insecurity, new price paradigm, air quality and global warming. Ethanol reduces our dependence on imported oil and leverages fossil fuel. In 2007, the US had a petroleum-based trade deficit of $293 billion1, importing 4.9 billion barrels of oil and petroleum products.2  In 2007, the production and use of ethanol displaced roughly 225 million barrels of crude oil (5% of U.S. oil imports; $16.5 billion value)3 needed to manufacture gasoline.
Ethanol is a renewable resource with positive environmental benefits. The increased use of ethanol is helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions resulting from America’s cars.  The production and use of 6.5 billion gallons of ethanol in 2007 resulted in the reduction of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions by 10 million tons, the equivalent of removing more than 1.5 million cars from the roads.4 Corn ethanol reduces tailpipe carbon monoxide (CO) emissions by an average of 20%; reduces volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which readily form ozone in the atmosphere; and reduces secondary particulate matter formation by 50%. 5
Ethanol helps the U.S. economy grow and provides consumers with greener fuel choices today. In addition to job creation, domestically produced ethanol reduces the US trade deficit. It opens a new market for farmers, allowing them to enjoy greater profitability and helps to ensure adequate, future food supplies. It has also reduced the costs of farm programs and adds vitality to rural economies.6
Currently, the US is producing about 8 billion gallons, representing about 7% of our gasoline usage.7 As of March 2008, ethanol is blended in more than 64%8 of the nation’s gasoline, and it is estimated that without ethanol in the current fuel supply, that a gallon of gas would be $.50 higher (or greater) per gallon of gas.9 Every 28 gallons of E85 purchased reduces our dependence on foreign oil by one barrel, helping to reduce our trade deficit by billions of dollars.
Corn ethanol has a positive energy balance. On average, corn ethanol delivers greater than 67% more energy output than it takes to produce one unit of ethanol (USDA); and with increased plant and equipment efficiencies, the energy balance will continue to improve.10 In comparison, it takes 23% more fossil energy to make 1 unit of petroleum gasoline.  That’s a negative net energy balance.11
Ethanol is not a major driver of food price increases. There are more than enough agricultural resources to supply the world with food, feed and fuel. Ethanol does not take food from the mouths of starving people. Ethanol production uses field corn - using only the starch portion of the corn kernel and leaving the vitamins and proteins which are converted into co-products including corn syrup and distillers grain for livestock feed.
There is more food per capita today on a global scale than ever before, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization.  There are, however, distribution problems in some Third World countries, which have more to do with politics and infrastructure, than US commodity production or Farm policies.
Higher food prices are primarily attributed to the following12: higher energy costs and resulting higher costs for food processing, packaging and transportation; weak US dollar; worldwide economic and population growth (e.g. increased demand meat and dairy diets); weather factors and low yields in parts of the world (i.e. Australian drought); and restriction on food exports (i.e. biotechnology). According to the USDA, renewable biofuels only account for a 3% increase in food prices.
There is no shortage of corn. Approximately 42% of US grown corn is used as livestock feed; less than 10% is used for human consumption; about 22% is used for ethanol; at about 17%, the United States is still the largest exporter of corn in the world; and about 10% for reserves13.
New seed and equipment technology and improved practices are improving yields, allowing farmers to supply needed food, feed and fuel while using less land and fewer implements.  The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) projects that ethanol demand and corn supply will continue on an even trend in the coming years because of increased corn yields through genetic improvements. On average, corn yields have increased by 3.5 bushels per acre per year since 1995. Based on historical data, the NCGA predicts corn yields to increase to around 180 bushels per acre by 2015 compared to the 150 bushels per acre in 2006. At 180 bushels per acre, ethanol production will increase to over 20 billion gallons of ethanol without adding another acre to corn production; hybrid yields are currently producing up to 280 bushels per acre, or enough corn to supply over 36 billion gallons of ethanol production.
Available today, ethanol is an important piece of the renewable energy puzzle. Corn ethanol is not an ending point, but is the growth engine for U.S. based ethanol production.  Conventional ethanol establishes a platform (via infrastructure, policy advancement and industry acceptance) for other renewable fuels. As a renewable resource with positive environmental benefits, ethanol is part of the sustainable, domestic solution to our energy needs. Ethanol provides consumers with greener fuel choice today and sets the stage for greener, lower cost renewable fuels for the future.
Karri Hammerstrom is the Environmental Permitting and Government Affairs Manager for Cilion, a renewable fuels company with an ethanol facility in Keyes, California. She and her family farm alfalfa and stone fruit in the Central San Joaquin Valley. a

1 US Department of Commerce: US Census Bureau- US Bureau of Economic Analysis, www.bea.gov/newsreleases/international/trade/2008/pdf/trad0308.pdf , Exhibit 9, page 14.
2 US Energy Information Administration. http://www.eia.doe.gov
3 LECG, LLC February 2008; RFA; US Energy Information Administration; Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC)
4 Department of Energy-Argonne National Laboratory, GREET 1.7 model. www.anl.gov/
5 Smog Reyes, Feb. 2004; National Research Council; EPIC;
6 Cilion, Inc,; LECG, LLC February 2008; EPIC; RFA
7 Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), Ethanol Industry Outlook 2008. www.ethanolRFA.org
8 PRX The ProExporter Network, PRX Ethanol Demand Weekly Monitor: Ethanol S&O Briefing, June 4, 2008. www.proexporter.com
9 Merrill Lynch; Renewable Fuels Association; Iowa State University
10 “Analysis of the Efficiency of the U.S. Ethanol Industry 2007,” by May Wu, Center for Transportation Research, Argonne National Laboratory (DOE), March 27, 2008.
11 DOE-Argonne National Laboratory, Michael Wang; USDA; Iowa State University Extension, D. Hofstrand; RFA; Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa);
12 The Effects of Ethanol on Texas Food and Feed,” Agricultural and Food Policy Center, Texas A&M University; USDA; Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa); Food & Water Watch; Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy; Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD); New Fuels Alliance; USDA; Consumer Federation of America (CPA);EPIC; The Government Accountability Office, GAO; American Farm Bureau Federation
13 USDA, Economic Research Service, Feed Outlook, 6/07